Liquid-measuring apparatus.



' A. B. WALLEM.

LIQUID MEASURING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5. 1914.

1,205,294; Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR AT'I'ORN EY A. B. WALLEM.

LIQUID MEASURING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1914.

Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR ATTORN EY WITNESSES 7 To all whom it may concern UNITED STATESPATENT @FFICE.

AXEL B. WALLEIVI, 0F CYNWYD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH S.LOVERING WI-IARTON, WILLIAM S. HALLOWELL, AND JOHN C. JONES, ALL OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, DOING BUSINESS IN SAID PHILADELPHIA UNDERTHE FIRM- NAME OF HARRISON SAFETY IBQILER WORKS.

LIQUID-MEASURIN G APPARATUS.

1,205,294. Specification of Letters Patent Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

I Application filed September 5, 1914. Serial N 0. 860,433.

and referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, A rep- Be it known that I, AXEL B.WALLEM, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Cynwyd,in the county of Montgomery, in the State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Measuring Apparatus, ofwhich the following is a true and exact description, referencebeing hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof. a

My present invention relates to liquid measuring apparatus of thetype inwhich the quantity rate of flow of a liquid is determined from thevariations in the accumulation'of liquid on the supply side of a weirover which the liquid to be measured flows. p

My present invention was devised primarily with the object inview ofproviding simple and effective 'means: for avoiding a difiiculty whichhas arisen in the operation of weir measuring apparatus heretoforeemployed, from a continued influx of liquid into the weir chamber whenthe. normal discharge. from the weir chamber is closed. In practice thiscontinued influx has sometimes been due to leaky'valves by which thesupply of water to the weir chamber is controlled in whole or inpart,but isusually :due to heater returns and other drains discharging intothe weir chamber, and which it is not practically desirable to cut offwhen the normal discharge is entirely stopped.

The various features of novelty characterizing my invention are pointed.out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part ofthis specification. For a. better understanding of the invention,however, and of the advantages possessed by it, reference should be hadto the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter, in which I haveillustrated and described forms in which my invention may be embodied. r

Of the drawings: Figure l is a sectional elevation of apparatusembodying one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a partial section taken onthe line 22 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modified form ofapparatus embodying my invention. 7 In heapp atus sh n in th dra s;

resents the tank or inclosing housing of a combined open feed waterheater and weir measuring apparatus for measuring the llquid passing outof the heater. As shown, the housing A incloses an upper heating chamberA in which are mounted the usual splash trays B onto which water fallsfrom the overflow trough C. Makeup water is supplied to the trough Cthroughthe pipe D and the water of condensation or returns from heatingcoils or like drainage is conveyed to the trough C pipe E. Exhaust steamfor water in the chamber A is supplied to the latter through the pipe Fand the usual oil separator G, the drip from which is passed through anddischarged by a trap G.

Partitions A and A with a steam equali'zing passage or passages Abetween them, separate the heating chamber A from the weir chamberlocated in the lower portion of the casing A. The weir chamber isdivided into an inlet or supply compartment A and an outlet compartmentA by a partition H, which is formed in its upper edge with the usualV-notch or V-notches H through which the water overflows from thecompartment A to the compartment A A represents the service dischargeconnection leading from the outlet chamber A heating the through the Ito a boiler feed pump or other place or apparatus for utilizing ordisposing of the water passing through the heater and over the weir innormal operation.

I represents an indicating or recording mechanism employed forfurnishing an indication or a record, or both, of the quantity of liquidflowing over the weir from the corresponding variations in the height ofliquid level in the compartment A. As

shown, the actuating member of the mechavary much from the levelindicated by the line 1. This is brought about through the float J,which is connected to and operates the valve D in the makeup supply pipeD, and opens and closes the latter as the water level in the compartmentA falls below or rises to the level of the line 1.

I11 so far as already described the apparatus disclosed does not differfrom that which is well known, and has been in extensive use. lVith suchapparatus difliculty has arisen from the fact that when the normal.discharge passage A is closed, so that no measured water is beingwithdrawn from the apparatus, there may be an influx of water into theapparatus, due either to leakage by the valve D, or to the comparativelyslow influx of heating returns through the pipe E. The effect of thisinflux of liquid has been to flood the weir chamber, and to raise thewater level therein to a height such that the measuring apparatus I,shows a high rate of flow through the measuring chamber when, in pointof fact, no liquid is being withdrawn out of the apparatus at all. Toovercome this difliculty, I provide a waste connection K, opening fromthe inlet compartment of the weir chamber at any suitable level belowthe lowermost level of flow over the weirl This waste passage K isnormally closed by the valve K, but the latter is automatically openedwhenever the liquid level in the outlet compartment A rises to apredetermined height above the level of the line 1. The means forautomatically shifting the valve as the liquid level rises to and fallsbelow the line 2 comprises a float L carried by a rock shaft L, which,externally of the casing of the tank A, has an arm L connected by a linkL to the toggle operating provisions of the valve K. With thisarrangement, the maximum height of water level in the compartment A isthat of the line 2 at which the float L opens the valve K. WVhen thevalve K is opened the liquid level in the inlet chamber A? of the weirchamber falls to the level at which the waste passage K is connected tothe chamber A The apparatus thus absolutely prevents all possibility ofa false indication or record by the measuring apparatus I resulting fromthe influx of water into the apparatus through the pipe E or through thepipe D with any ordinary leakage past the valve D when the outlet A isclosed. In practice, the amount of liquid thus entering the apparatuswhen the normal outlet A is closed, as it may be for hours in the nighttime, is ordinarily very small in comparison with the amount of liquidpassing through the apparatus in normal operation. On account of thecomparatively small amount of this liquid, the liquid discharged throughthe escape connection K may be wasted, though, of course, it is possibleto provide for its discharge into a suitable reservoir.

In the slightly modified form of apparatus in which my invention isemployed, as shown in Fig. 3, the heater tank' AA 1s separate from theweir tank AB, though the steam spaces of the two tanks are connected bya pressure equalizing pipe i Vater flows in normal operation from thetank AA into the weir tank AB through the valved connection 0. Theheater tank AA is provided with connections and appurte nances E, D, F,G and G, as in Fig. 1. The flow of water to the heater AA through themain supply pipe D is regulated by a valve D which is controlled by afloat J A, as the valve D of Fig. 1 is controlled by the float J. Theflow of water through the escape connection KA leading from thecompartment of the weir tankat the inlet side of the weir carryinpartition H, is

controlled by a valve Kr" and float LA,

as the valve K of Figs. 1 and 2 is controlled by the float L. In theapparatus shown in Fig. 3 water is normally withdrawn from the outletcompartment of the weir tank through the connection A by the boilerfeedpump P. It will be understood, of course, that provisions may bemade, as shown in Fig. 8, for trapping. the normally closed escapepassage from the inlet compartment of the weir, so that when the valveKA' is open, steam cannot blow out of, and air cannot be sucked into theweir chamber through the escape connection KA.

Whilethe principal use of the invention at the present time is inconnection. with weir measuring apparatus for measuring the waterdelivered from open feed water heaters, it is apparent that theinvention is adapted for general use wherever it is desired to preventan objectionable accumula tion of liquid in a chamber or conduit inwhich a measuring weir is located; and it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that changes may be made in the forms of apparatusdisclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention, and thatunder some conditions certain features of my invention may be usedwithout a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In liquid measuring apparatus, the combination with a weir chamberhaving inlet and outlet compartments, a weir between them, a liquidoutlet from the outlet compartment, and means for supplying liquid tothe inlet compartment, of a normally closed escape passage leading fromthe inlet compartment at a level below the lowermost level of flow overthe weir, and

means responsive to the height of liquid on the outlet side of the weirfor opening and closing said escape passage as the last mentioned levelrises to and falls below a predetermined height.

2. In a liquid measuring apparatus, the combination with a weir chamberhaving inlet and outlet compartments, a weir between said compartments,two liquid supply connections to said inlet compartment, and a liquidoutlet from said outlet compartment, of a normally closed escape passageleading from said inlet compartment at a level below the lowermost levelof Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the &

flow over the weir, means responsive to the height of liquid on theoutlet side of the weir for opening and closing said escape passage asthe last mentioned level rises to, and falls below a predeterminedheight, and means responsive to the said height of liquid for openingand closing one of said liquid supply connections as said level risesto, and falls below a predetermined height less than the first mentionedheight.

AXEL B. WALLEM. Witnesses:

ROBERT G. CLIFTON,

J. W. GAMBLE.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

